Brian: I was pacing in my room, everything was too fucking much. Way too fucking much for me to process. I was knocked out and dragged back to who the hell knew where. The woman flipped shit the moment she saw me, she did NOT look happy. Nor was I to find out she was…his lover? I didn’t know. The term was so…foreign to me. I debated on growling, screaming, something. I haven’t tried the door yet, I didn’t want to. I didn’t know what was on the other side. For all I knew, it could have been my death. Strangely, that wasn’t what scared me. No, what scared me to find her, or someone else not happy to see that I existed. Inhaling I walked over to the door and turned it and opened the door slightly to see the guy who knocked me out. I was about to growl but then stopped myself. He nodded in greeting, “Wrath would like to see you in his office.” My fingers clenched, I wasn’t stupid. A hot head, sure, stupid, no. He walked ahead of me, like if he didn’t care if I was going to follow him or not. We both knew I’d follow him though, so I did. My head hung down low.
Wrath:
It had been about an hour since Marissa had erupted through my door. She was pissed that I hadn’t told her about Brian before she ran into him at the Audience House. I tried to explain that I did everything I could to keep her from running into him before I had a chance to tell her about him, but all she kept getting hung up on was the fact that V and I had known for over a week and hadn’t told her sooner. But, we couldn’t have. We weren’t sure. We just had this kid that looked pretty similar and a hunch. We needed proof. So we waited until we had it. Then we needed to talk to the kid to find out where his interests lay. Did he just want answers, or did he want more than that? There was no reason to give any of this information to anyone, if Brian was just looking for answers, and once he had them, he was just going to go on with his life. Yes, we would have told Marissa about him. But, we all know, there is a distinctive line between their world and ours, and if Brian decides to choose his own, that would be it.
Marissa had stormed out about half an hour ago and left me to my own thoughts on the matter. I wasn’t sure how this was all going to go over, but aside from Marissa, most everyone else in the manse was looking forward to getting to know Brian better.
There was an abrupt knock on my door and I heard Micah on the other side. “Sire. He is awake and ready to see you.”
“Come on in.” I called out.
Brian: The door opened and I slipped inside. My nerves were shot. How the fuck did I get myself mixed into these damn situations. I didn’t bother to look up and see where we were going, there was no point to. I was too busy stuck in my own head, but when I looked up and heard the other’s voice. I automatically stiffened my spine, and took a seat in front of him. I didn’t know what this was about, I did exactly as he had requested. I stayed put at the other place. I didn’t know what to really say, except…”I’m sorry.”
Wrath:
Michah led Brian into my office and I thanked him before releasing him of his duties. “Thank you, Michah. Please go find V and let him know that Brian is here.”
Michah promptly left and I turned to the kid in front of me. I could sense his discomfort as he slid into the chair. “There is no need for sorry.” I wasn’t even sure what he was apologizing for. “I imagine you have some questions.” Where to begin? “So, we’ve told you a little about your great-grandsire. Cop was a great male. He was much loved by our family. As I have told you, he was a distant relative of mine own, as well as Manny’s, who you can meet in a bit. We have made everyone at the manse aware that you are here. They are all looking forward to meeting you. However, I figured it might be a little overwhelming to be onslaughted by the whole of the manse at once, plus there are a few things we still have not explained that you will want to know beforehand.”
…and now to drop the hammer… “We are not like any of the people you have met in your life, so far. We are in fact a completely different species, one the world knows nothing about. Well, at least nothing that is completely accurate. I know that is hard to hear and believe. But, I promise you we are not a danger to you.” I paused, unsure of how to break the final piece, ‘Vampire.’ I was waiting to see how he was going to respond to what I had already said, when I heard the door open back up and smelled the scent of Turkish tobacco waft in. Ah, V. Maybe he could help me get past this little hump.
“So, where we at? What have you told him, so far?”
Brian: I sat down, crossing my arms against my chest. It wasn’t meant to be offensive, it’s a cop pose for me as I heard everything that was told. Some of it was a repeat, I didn’t think he needed to worry about my sensory overload. What I was worried about though, was the fact that everyone that I’ve met, the other woman, these two, and the servants have told me that I looked like him. Were they going to be able to handle seeing me? Me being around as a reminder? I rubbed at my hands before leaning over and scrubbing my face as he told me a little bit more about what they were. “The other one informed me of…some things. She didn’t say exactly what you ya’ll were…but she did tell me that my grandsire? Died a few years ago.” I pointed out. Bitterness rang in my tone about that, but I ignored that piece of information, for now. Soon the smell of turkish tobacco filled my nose and I turned to see the other gruff male. Cocking my head to the side, I studied him. There was something…calming about this guy. I looked back at Wrath, a grin spreading my face but I dropped it. Now was not the time to pull stupid humor out of my ass to only have me killed. “You say you’re different from the legends, myths, yadda yadda yadda, how?”
There was a shift in Brian’s scent as V walked in the door. I might have missed it through all the Turkish tobacco that blew in, but my senses were more keen than that. It was as if I could feel his whole body ease into his seat. This was good information to know, a nugget I would tuck away in case it was necessary, at a later time. This was not something new that I did. I could scent people’s emotions most of the time. The slightest deviations in their smell could tell me if someone was lying, afraid, angry, excited… the list went on. As I noticed particular changes in people’s emotions, I would make mental notes of them, if I could tell what the root cause was. It was useful to know what set people’s emotions off.
This may actually be useful now, as I break the information of what we were to Brian. “We are vampires, Brian. Not in the sense of the word you are used to, though. Most importantly for you to know is, we don’t feed off humans. We actually feed off each other, willingly. And, we do not kill your kind. We actually try to keep to ourselves and leave your kind to themselves. Some of the ways we are the same to the myths are, we do drink blood, but as I said, we drink of our own kind, and it is of our own free will. You won’t find us out during the day.” I decided to skim over this part. No need for him to know our weaknesses, right now. So, I moved on quickly, without saying much more about that. “We do have… fangs, I guess would be the word you would use. Things we don’t do… again, kill people, or feed on their blood.”
“And, We don’t turn into bats.” V tossed out. This was a long standing issue for him
I nodded and continued, “We are also not deathly allergic to garlic and religious artifacts. There is obviously a lot more to our world, but those are some of the basics, as far as myths and legends are concerned.” Should he choose to stay in our world, there would be a lot more to discuss with him, but this was a good start.
Brian: I watched their postures, their attitudes. I wasn’t no lazy detective. They were easy to read, well, about this anyway. As if it seemed that it was important to me to know they were telling the truth. I glossed over the word for a moment, it was unconscious thing to do, as he listed the difference between the mythical vampire traits, but there were similarities. Feeding, blood, and allergic to sun. I couldn’t help the snort that escaped me when the other guy mentioned that they didn’t turn into bats. I wiped my mouth to hide the grin that threatened to spread. Vampires. I honestly didn’t know whether to accept it, or to call them all insane, however it made sense when I put the pieces together. “You’re the king vampire then.” I stated, not question. “That’s why it was so damn hard to see you the first day until someone recognized my name because of Butch.” The pieces were beginning to fall into place, but a few things didn’t make sense. “You claim you don’t bite people, but you said great grandfather was one of you, and he died only a few years back…how was he turned?”
Wrath:
Sitting just the slightest bit straighter, I nodded in response to the question about me being the King. I had been for almost a century now, and even though there were many moments over the years where I wish I never set my ass on this throne, I was proud of what I had accomplished as the race’s King.
“Your great grandsire was a half-breed. He was only half-vampire. Most vampires go through a transition around the age of twenty-five, in which they inherit all their vampire qualities. Some half-breeds will go through it, while others will not. Thankfully, your great-grandsire did not transition. He would not have had anyone in his life to help him through it at the time and he would have died. However, once he learned of his heritage, and met Marissa, he chose to be pushed through his transition. The only reason this was possible was due to his bloodline, my bloodline. I am the only living vampire with pure blood. The fact that he had my bloodlines in his veins was what got him through his transition.
“You see, when he met Marissa, he had met his mate. It’s not easy to explain to a human what that means. The closest word I could use is imprinting. When a vampire meets their mate, it is written in blood. There is no walking away from your mate. So, he asked us to help him transition and become one of us, so he could live with her as long as she would. Unfortunately, his fate was not as he wished and he passed unto the Fade a few years ago, during battle.” I felt as if I were rambling, but there was so much he didn’t know.
Brian: I nibbled on my lower lip as I took in the information that was given to me. Pieces fitting together, things being dished out by each question. What did I want to ask next? Did I want to ask what happened to him? Or did I want to ask if there was a possibility of him changing me? Did I want to do that? I shook my head to relieve some of these questions that built up in my head, but it wasn’t helping. Vishous cleared his throat, “You can ask, but remember, you may not like the answers you’re given.” My head snapped up, and I watched his diamond eyes carefully. Did he see what was going on in my head? He shrugged. “You’re not exactly trying to hide what you’re thinking by your facial features either kid.” I scowled at him. “Aren’t you just a peach.” I growled. He grinned. I looked back at Wrath, “What was the battle you guys were fighting?” I asked.
Wrath:
I couldn’t imagine what this kid was going through, right now. First, finding out that his great-grandsire had not died upon his disappearance like they were led to believe, and second, finding out about the existence of vampires. To say that both were hard pills to swallow was probably the understatement of the century, and between the time it was taking Brian to respond and the back and forth between V and him, I could tell he wasn’t sure what to tackle first. I was about to open my mouth to help him out, when he finally came up with a question. Although, it wasn’t any of the questions I would have expected. I expected questions about the process to transition Butch, more questions about his great-gransire, what kind of male was he, what kind of life did he live, was he happy, did he ever think about the family he left behind (even though Butch never knew about Brian’s father, he did leave behind family). Instead, this kid wanted to know about the battle. It’s interesting how shock can register in the brain.
“As vampires, we have an enemy. They are called the Lessening Society. It’s kind of a long story to get into about who they are and how they connect to us, but let’s just say that our creator and their creator are opposite entities, yet siblings. It makes us sound like pawns in their own private game, and trust me, sometimes it feels like we are. But, the Lessening Society is our crux to bear. Our fight with them is as old as time.”
Brian: So like every other fantasy novel there was a balance here as well. I was trying to sort this shit out in my head. So far? Bupkis. I got bupkis. Meaning not a Goddamn thing. I rubbed my temples and breathed softly. “I don’t know why I’m asking this, but I am going to ask anyway…” I wanted to know about Butch but at the same time…I wanted to know more about their world. It was fascinating and I guess I could understand why Butch left the human world. It didn’t stop the simmering anger though. “Know what, never mind.” I waved it off before looking at Wrath, sitting back and cross my leg over the other. My fingers steepled under my chin as it rested on my index fingers. “Would you mind if I asked how the battle of balance is going?”
Wrath:
I was curious to know what Brian wasn’t saying. He obviously wanted to know something of importance to him. But, if he really wanted to know, he’d ask it in his own time. I was not going to beat the question out of him.
“Well, it could be going better… a lot better. Over the past half a century the Lessening Society got somewhat of an upgrade and now they are more difficult to kill than they ever have been. Which, in turn has made it easier for their numbers to climb. Back, almost a hundred years ago, we were so close to wiping them out. But, things changed.” Thinking about the abduction of Lyric and what that meant for their race was difficult. If it weren’t for that one event we might have ended up wiping out the entire race of lessers. “Now, we are fighting for our race around every corner and we’ve lost too many to count, including your great-grandsire. Although, we continue to train new males for the fight and we will not stop until every one of those baby-powerded fuckers are sent back to their maker!” I don’t know how I knew it, but I was sure that one day we would wipe their race out of existence. It was just a matter of finding the right weapon.
“So, with all that you know so far, I have a question for you. Are you just looking for answers to your questions about your great-grandsire, or are you looking to go down the rabbit hole we discussed and learn more about where you come from? Learn about your heritage? Decide which side of the line you want to live on? Because, this is one line you can’t straddle. You either live in your human world, or you live in our world. There are too many risks to allow anyone to live in both. I am willing to give you four days in our world to decide. After those four days, you will have to choose. Or, we could answer all your questions about your great-grandsire now, and drive you home. What will it be?”
Brian: Cocking my head to the side, I studied as he talked. The confidence grew. He said this was my heritage, was it? Honestly, I didn’t have to even think about it. I wanted in. I didn’t know why this world pulled me into the depth of the issues, but it did. I looked at the male behind Wrath, as if he’d give me an answer, but his face was as stoic as a statue. ‘Asshole…’ I thought, and he smirked. Alright, guessing he could read minds. I ran my fingers through my short hair. “How would I be able to help? I’m human…” I told him. “I have no medical training, well…not the one you’d need. I’m easy pickings…”
Wrath:
I had a feeling this decision was going to be an easy one for this kid. He was thirsty, and not just for knowledge about Butch, but also for knowledge about our world. I picked up the phone and dialed for the doggen.
Fred picked up on the first ring. “Yes, sire?” He was always ready to server.
“Fred, please make up one of the spare rooms for our guest. He will be staying for a few days.” I pulled the phone away from my ear to address the kid again. “Is there anything you need at your place? We can send Fred to go get it for you, and don’t worry, he is completely trustworthy.”
Brian: I noticed he didn’t quite answer my question, but that was alright. When he made that request, it was all the answer that I needed. Something within me, settled deep in my chest. /Home/. When he directed his own question toward me, I nodded. “My clothes, and for them to hand in my resignation. Something’s telling me I won’t be going back…” Whether it was because I joined their fight, which was an extreme possibility, or I’d eat a bullet. Personally, I was already eager to start the battle.
Wrath:
Nodding at the kid, I brought my attention back to the phone. “Fred, I also need you to send someone to Brian’s home to pick up some clothes.” I hung up the phone and raised my head back to Brian, “You can put in your resignation, after you’ve had a chance to mull everything over.”
Turning to V, I continued, “V, can you get him set up in his new room?”
“Sure thing, boss.” came V’s retort.
“Oh, and one more thing, kid…” I heard him stop at the door. “Don’t worry about what you can contribute if you stay. We’ll figure that out later. Everyone has a purpose. You have one, too.”
